I've recently moved up to 2-5 from 1-2 (live play only) and am a little short on confidence right now...Apologies in advance for my hand report-I'm new at this.
FR 2-5 (LIVE)
Villain has chased several draws since I've been at the table and made some questionable calls but otherwise has been fairly quiet. I play pretty tight and had been fairly quiet myself for a few rotations.
UTG bets 20, UTG+1 folds, four callers, I call, SB folds, BB calls.
Flop ($140, seven-handed)
Flop
5c, Qc, 6d
UTG checks, MP1 bets 50, MP2 calls, folded around to me on button. I make it 300 straight. Folded to MP2, who calls. Turn is a 2h. I put MP2 all-in for another 100. He calls, shows K9c, river comes Jc.
My question is what to do with bottom two pair when you have a pretty good read that your only real threat is a flush draw ( w/ or w/o pair). Would it have been a better play to min raise the flop, hoping to isolate the villain, then make a big bet on the turn if the club missed, giving him steeper odds? Should I just have pushed? Or should I have re-considered my read and been more wary of a possible set, higher two pair, as unlikely as it seemed, and just called? (Of course, I could have folded preflop). Alot of the 2-5 players here are pretty laggy and while bottom pair is not super, it is often good enough to stack them with. Should I have played this differently?
You played the hand the only way it could have been played. Raise the flop is good get rid of the Q J kind of hands where you might get 5 outed on the turn, and get it all in vs a more that 4 to 1 dog. Played well sir especially since he is a chasing shmuck.
Thanks for the perspective ledout. According to table talk the next day, it turns out that the player is a notorious drawer, filthy rich, with little regard for money- all the regulars know this apparently. Probably would have changed how I played that. Know thy player!
given effective stack sizes, id just shove the flop on such a vulnerable board. your raise was effectively a shove versus this villains stack so hes just a bad player.
You played the hand the only way it could have been played. Raise the flop is good get rid of the Q J kind of hands where you might get 5 outed on the turn, and get it all in vs a more that 4 to 1 dog. Played well sir especially since he is a chasing shmuck.
Just to be clear. On the flop Villain basically had to call $350 to win $640. His play is far from terrible (although probably slightly -EV).
Not to belabor a pretty dead post but my original question stands- whether there is a more optimal/profitable way to play this (and essentially any vulnerable flop lead) against suspect drawer who is in early position with players behind you and an already bloated pot. As jj points out, the villain is not making a huge mistake calling a pot-raise here. I'm not sure pushing makes much of a difference here given stack sizes. A fair number of players at my game might call this. Flip it around then. If he is not making a huge mistake calling, then is this perhaps a marginal spot for me as well. Yes, I'm ahead but given how he plays, could I pick a better spot to get my money in? On the other hand, I can't really flat call here- I'd be giving all players behind 6:1 on their money on a pretty wet board. Ultimately, I guess this is a question of whether, in cash games, 2:1 odds should always be taken. Am I playing too conservative/tight/weak whatever by sometimes eschewing those odds, especially against looser players?
Quit questioning your play of this hand. Given that you learned from regs that villan spews anytime he has a flush draw, please remember that 2 out of 3 times HE WILL MISS HIS FLUSH DRAW and you make $$. You should be wishing you could play this guy every day, not agonizing over a hand you played decently.
given effective stack sizes, id just shove the flop on such a vulnerable board. your raise was effectively a shove versus this villains stack so hes just a bad player.
Of course you should always take 2-1 odds in a cash game. You should take 51-49 odds in a cash game. This is where having a sufficient bankroll comes into play.
